A drive mechanism of this kind is known from DE 88 00 360 U, for example. This is a drive mechanism for slatted bed bases, in which shafts equipped with control levers are operated by two adjusting mechanisms driven by an electromotor. Parts of furniture for sitting or lying down are adjusted via brackets connected in articulated fashion to the shafts which can be turned in this way. Each of the adjusting mechanisms is driven by an electromotor, which drives an adjusting spindle via a gear unit. Turning the adjusting spindle moves the adjusting element and, by applying the adjusting element to the control lever, causes the shaft to turn. The adjusting mechanisms are mounted between the two shafts for this purpose. Furthermore, the adjusting mechanisms are mounted parallel to one another such that the head ends with the respective gear units for driving the adjusting spindles are adjacent to one another.
One disadvantage of these known configurations is that the shafts to be adjusted must be a certain minimum distance apart which approximately corresponds to the length of two adjusting mechanisms. In a configuration of a drive mechanism known from DE 88 00 360 U, the adjusting mechanisms are mounted next to one another between the shafts. A force transmitted from the adjusting mechanisms to the control levers of the shaft generates a reactive force acting on the drive mechanism. One disadvantage of such a configuration of the adjusting mechanisms is that the reactive forces are offset relative to one another and act on the shaft in different planes, thus generating a resulting torque on the drive mechanism.